Trousers-stretcher.



PATENTED MAY 28, 1905.

R. 0. MITCHELL.

TROUSERS STRETGHER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR B, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 790,848. PATENTED MAY 23, 1905. R 0 MITCHELL TROUSERS STRETGHER.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.8,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WWSGZZ C attezwu;

. stretching-rod.

NITED STATES Patented May 23, 1905.

TROUSERS-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,848, dated May 23,1905.

Application filed March 8, 1904. Serial No. 197,122.

To all whom. it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUSSELL O. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fayetteville, in the county of \Vashington and State ofArkansas, have invented new and useful Improvements inTrousers-Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements introusers-stretchers; and its object is to provide a durable and compactdevice of this character which can be adjusted for use upon trousers ofdifferent sizes and which will thoroughly stretch'them and hold them inproper shape.

The invention consists of an extensible stretching-rod upon the ends ofwhich are arranged holders of novel construction which may be adjustedfor use upon trousers of different sizes. Means are provided whereby oneof the holders may be moved longitudinally in relation to thestretching-rod, so as to thoroughly stretch the trousers subsequent totheir being secured in position.

Vith the above and other objects in View the invention consists of anextensible stretching-rod having means for locking it in adjustedposition, and a holding-strip is loosely connected to one end of thisrod and has adjustable clamps mounted thereon. A lever is pivoted to theother end of the rod and has asec- 0nd holding-strip connected theretoand provided with adjustable clamps.

The invention also consists in the further novel construction andcombination of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, andillustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, showing the preferred form ofmy invention, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of my improvedtrousers-stretcher. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan View of one of theholding-strips. Fig. 3 is an elevation of said strip. Fig. 4c is alongitudinal section through one end of the strip and the clamp thereon.Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the strip. Fig. 6 is a section on line 66, Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the adjoining portions of thesections of the Fig. 8 is a section on line 8 8,

Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a section on line 9 9, Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of one end of the stretching-rod and showing thelever thereon, and Fig. 11 1s a side elevation thereof.

Referring to the figures by numerals of reference, 1 is a channeledsection, which forms one portion of the stretching-rod of the device.This section has notches 2 formed in its edge and is slidably mountedwithin a larger channeled section 3, which forms the other section ofthe stretching-rod. A cross-strip 4c is secured to the edges of theportion 3 and extends thereacross and forms a support for the section 1,and oppositely-disposed notches 5 are formed within the edges of thesection 3 and receive a yoke 6, which is pivoted to the sides of saidsection and is adapted to automatically engage the notches 2 and preventindependent longitudinal movement of the sections in one direction. Aheaded lug 7 is formed at the outer end of the section 1, and a bracket8 in the form of an angular plate is secured to the outer end of section3 and has an aperture 9 therein whereby the stretcher may be suspendedfrom a nail or other device.

Pivoted to the section 3 adjacent the bracket 8 is a lever 10, having anextension 11 at one end thereof adapted to overlap one side of thesection 3. The other end of the lever is provided with a headed lug 12,which is similar to the lug 7, before referred to. This lug 12, as shownin Fig. 10, is arranged out of alinement with the ends of lever 10 andthe pivot of said lever, so that when the extension 11 is swung againstone side of the portion 3 lug 12 will be carried past the longitudinalcenter of the portion 3 and will assume a position on a line extendingto one side of the pivot of lever 10. Each of the lugs 7 and 12 isadapted to be engaged by a holdingstrip 13 of novel construction. Eachof these strips has a longitudinally-extending groove 14 therein and acentrally-arranged apertured car 15 at one edge, which is adapted to beengaged by one of the lugs 7 and 12. A slide 16 is mounted on each endof the strip 13, and the edges thereof overlap the strip, so as toprevent accidental displacement of the slide. Parallel ears 17 areformed integral with the slide, and riveted or otherwise securedtherebetween is an arm 18, having an eccentric 19 pivoted therein andprovided with an operating-handle 20. A spring-strip 21 is securedbetween the ears and is normally substantially parallel with the arm 18,and this strip has a rib 22 extending longitudinally upon its inner faceand which is adapted to be pressed into a longitudinally-extendinggroove 23, formed within the slide 16.

The operation of the stretcher is as follows: The ends of thetrousers-legs are placed upon one of the strips 13 and clamped thereonbetween the spring-strips 21 and the slide 16 by rotating the eccentrics19 by means of the handles 20, opposite or waist end of the trousersbeing similarly secured upon the remaining strip 13. It will beunderstood that the slides 16 are adjustable toward or away from eachother on the respective strips 13 to accommodate trousers of differentsizes. The strips 13 are now connected with the lugs 7 and 12, the lever10 carrying the latter lug having been previously turned to its open orretracted position, so that the said lug is positioned on the oppositeside of the pivot of the lever from that indicated in Fig. 1. The stripsbeing in engagement with the respective lugs, the sections 1 and 3 aremanually moved in opposite directions, the notches 2 and yokes 6 lockingthe parts when movement has been sufficient to straighten or partiallystretch the trousers, the car 15 of the strip 13 upon the section 1being thereby drawn and maintained by the tension on the trousers insecure engagement with the lug 7. The lever 10 is now swung on its pivotto bring the lug 12 into the position shown in Fig. 1, carrying with itthe strip 13. This movement of the lever causes the strip 13 carriedthereby to move away from the other strip 113, thus exerting necessarypull upon the trousers to thoroughly stretch them. As the lug 12 infinal position is above its center or beyond the horizontal withrelation to said pivot, it will be seen that the pull of the trouserswill hold the lever in its adjusted position.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In atrousers-stretcher, an extensible frame, holding-strips transverselydisposed at the ends of the frame, and securing devices on the stripsrelatively adjustable longitudinally thereof and transversely of theframe.

2. In a trousers-stretcher, an extensible frame, transverseholding-strips upon the ends of the frame provided with securing devicesrelatively adjustable longitudinally thereon for securing the trousersthereto, said strips being relatively adjustable by movement of theparts of the frame to stretch the trousers to the approximate degree,and means for adjusting one of said strips for varying the position ofthe strips independent of the extensibility of the frame to furtherstretch the trousers to the desired tension.

3. The combination with a longitudinallyextensible stretching-rod, andmeans thereon for locking the same in adjusted position; ofholding-strips pivoted to the ends of the rod, slides thereon, andclamps upon the slides.

4. The combination with a longitudinallyextensible stretching-rod, andmeans thereon for locking the same in adjusted position; ofholding-strips pivoted to the ends of the rod, slides mounted upon thestrips, spring-strips secured to the slides, and means for clamping thestrips upon the slides.

5. The combination with a longitudinallyextensible stretching-rod, andmeans thereon for locking the same in adjusted position; ofholding-strips pivoted to the ends of the rod, slides mounted upon thestrips, spring-strips secured to the slides, and revoluble eccentricsmounted upon the slides and adapted to clamp the spring-strips upon theslides.

6. The combination with an extensible stretching-rod having meansthereon for locking the same in adjusted position; of a lever pivoted toone end of the rod, holding-strips pivoted to the lever and to the otherend of the rod, respectively, and clamps upon the strips.

7. The combination with an extensible stretching-rod having means forlocking the same in adjusted position; of a lever pivoted to one end ofthe rod, holding-stripspivoted to the lever and to the other end of therod, respectively, slides adjustably mounted upon the strips, and clampsupon the slides.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination withaholding-strip; of a slide adjustably mounted thereon, an arm extendingfrom the slide, an eccentric pivoted within the arm, and a springclamping-strip secured to the slide and interposed between it and theeccentric.

9. In adevice of the character described, the

combination with a holding-strip, a slide adjustably mounted thereon,ears upon the slide, an arm secured to and extending from the ears, aspring clamping-strip secured to the ears between the arm and slide, aneccentric revolubly mounted within the arm and adapted to contact withthe spring-strip, and a handle extending from the eccentric.

10. In a trousers-stretcher, a plurality of clamping-strips, means forsimultaneously moving said strips in reverse directions, an eccentrichaving a slip-joint connection with one of said strips to move itindependently of the other, and a lever for operating said eccentric.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

RUSSELL C. MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

J. 'I. ENsoN, T. A. PEOK.

